Modernization and industrialization has paved a good way to the construction industry. Small towns and cities become more urbanized and , the construction sector too has got a boost. Irrespective of occasional slumps in the economy or in construction works, the sector is going through a faster growth. Apart from old / traditional urban/ industrial centres, new industrial/urban centres have appeared on the map where construction works are going on large scale.

Expanding and fast growing construction sector and, in general, lack of greater employment opportunity elsewhere has drawn large number of workers in this sector. There are more than 20 million of construction workers in India at present. Cities, like Delhi alone has around more than 600 thousand of them.

So, what are the problems faced by the construction workers in India??

living condition is very much unhygienic

idea posted by
Bansari Chawada MBBS student, SMIMER

living condition is very poor for them.they are not provided with basic safe requirements. no safe drinking water and self made 'kutcha' house made up with plastic and wooden. majority of time contractor dont provide facilities for bathroom and washing.workers used to go field for bathing and defecation wherever they get water.

Dangerous Work Environment.

idea posted by
Anjali Bhatia Construction-Heavy, Sobha Developers

The working time and hours are not well regulated. They do not get overtime rates for excess work. They work under very hazardous conditions. The working conditions and the facilities provided at the sites are far from satisfactory. Safety conditions and measurers are hardly met.

In case of accident, there is, in general, no provision for financial and medical aid. It is up to the workers themselves to arrange for the treatment. There is no scheme like ESI coverage for them. In the extreme cases like death, no body owns the responsibility.

Most of the time in urgencies there are compromises on the safety provided to the Workers , as the focus gets shifted to Project Completion within the deadline.Hence a labourer puts in his Extra to get that extra penny without any view on one's safety & if any Mishap occurs he would be not in a position to claim it . There is also a lack of proper awareness on safety measures from workers side.

Treat construction workers as Emplyees.

A long ques of workers can now be seen every where.The recession or no recession,workers are to be employed.The condition of these workers in construction industries is very alarming.A single worker works more than a statutory requirement but he is never accorded a status of regular employee.if i am not wrong more than 60% of workers are composed of Uriah and Gujarati Mama Workers.They improvise their dwellings where they work.The sagacity and sincerity of these workers help in continuing construction activities.i am therefore of the opinion that Government of India must take initiative to create a common funds for their health,education,permanent dwellings.It is high time construction industries take the call and help the government to move creating the centralized fund..

The data base of construction workers should be prepared.The centralized funds should be created and part of their earning with contribution from the contrators should be deposited.The funds should be utilized for health,education , provident funds and loan facilities.It is high time that theses workers should be empowered.Lest the the system treat them as fodders and create a class of untouchables.I therefore strongly support that they should treated as regular workers and should be given PF,DCRG, and pension benefits.

Lack of oppurtunity of skill enhancement

In India there is no institutionalised infrastructure to enhance the skills of construction workers. The abnormal growth in this sector coupled with skill enhancing institutions led to a poor quality workforce in India. Poogenerally skill generally affect the construction worker's destiny from all angle.

Chidren are other vulnerable cadre at construction site with a poor health

idea posted by
Bansari Chawada MBBS student, SMIMER

children of the workers used to migrate with them to diffrent sites of work in different cities and state. no one to take care of child while parents are working. child playing here and there and mostly taken care by elder sibling. most of the workers dont get leave with pay for any medical treatment. thats why children of workers are highly volnerable with incomplete immunisation and other unhygienic exposures.due to migration children dont get opportunity for schooling and their education also suffer.

Unorganized

idea posted by
Azhar Kazmi Professor, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals

The seeds of discontent may be in the nature of construction work itself. By its very nature, construction work is temporary, project-based and requires the workers to move around. This creates a situation where they cannot get organized as in the case of factory workers. With temporary nature of work, is the temporary nature of their living and other working conditions. The solution may lie in providing appropriate legal structures to protect the rights and interests of construction workers.

BETTER RESIDING FACILITIES WITH ALL FACILITIES AND APPROPRIATE PAYMENT IN TIME.

We don't provide appropriate residing facilities to workers , no facilities are provided to their kids . No one cares about their living conditions or their problems.Even there is no facilities provided to female workers anywhere. Except this neither they are paid proper wages by their contractors and nor in time.

Enforce HSSE Plan

idea posted by
Chandramouli Sr. Manager - QS & Contracts

If at construction sites HSSE (Health, Safety, Security & Environmental) Plan implemented stictily, then there is a very significant change will come in the construction industry. It helps not only construction workers, it leads to professionalism in construction industry.

Mis-management

idea posted by
S KUMAR Assistant Manager, Pvt. Construction Co.

1. Overtime work without payments for overtime;2. Future work assurance (Work visibilty);3. Safety equipments (PPEs, work practices)4. Lack of incentives to improve (Lack of training opportunities)5. Hygiene factors (provision of proper food/drinking water provisions during summer seasons)6. Transportation to and back to work place7. Non-regulated environment

Example:-* Labour forced to wear gum/safety boots at site. However, not wearing socks leads to cuts/bruises subsequently exposing them to water borne diseases.* Labour forced to work atop a beam at +30.00m without restrictions from the Engineer in charge.

The problems associated with labour productivity / loyalty may not reach its peak if the above 7 points are rectified. Rather, there has to be a management of these 7 factors.

Lack of Stipulated Working Hours

idea posted by
Amit Vakharia VP-Projects, Ashar Realty Pvt Ltd

I belive that productivity and efficiency is a direct result of number of hors worked. Having said this, unlike the west, India belives in at least a 10 hour day to the minimum. Workers face problems of working much more than 10 hours, in a disastrous working conditions with no safety checks. This si the problem that a general construction worker faces.

India was never the corporate style which looks toprovide health care/insurace etc to const. workers or any labor for that matter. So no point dealing with that. Mindsets are framed to work hard and Long !!! If developers and contractors react to this fact of stipulting work hours, Indian Const worker would be far a different breed vs the rest of the world.

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